OTTERBURNE, MB – Following final exams and assignments, Providence honoured its graduating class with week-long activities on the Otterburne campus including an Athletics Banquet, Student Achievement Dinner, Alumni Afternoon Tea, Graduation Ceremony and Reception.
The week wrapped up on Saturday, April 22nd at 1:00 pm with the annual Baccalaureate Service. After a special brunch in the dining hall, students put on their gowns and caps and proceeded to the Jubilee Auditorium in anticipation of receiving their well-earned diplomas. A total of 94 university college and seminary students graduated this year with a certificate, diploma or degree.
The Class of 2023 includes 40 university college graduates; five graduated from certificate programs, two with an Associate of Arts (AA) in Business, and 32 with a bachelor’s degree in Arts, Science, Business Administration or Theology. One university graduate earned a Master of Arts (MA) in TESOL.
In the Seminary, four graduated with a Master of Arts (MA) in Educational or Theological Studies while 36 attained a MA in Counselling or Counselling-Psychology. Three students received their Master of Divinity (MDiv) and three more received their Doctor of Ministry (DMin) designations.
Provost Nicholas Greco reminded our Providence community that, “Graduation is the crowning event of the life of the university. It is when we truly celebrate the success of our students, filled with knowledge and character, and now ready for leadership and service.”
Our graduating classes chose Téa Wiebe (BA in Social Science) as the University College valedictorian, and Paul Blair (DMin) as the Seminary valedictorian. But the graduation ceremony also included remarks by President Kent Anderson, and a special address by the Honourable Kelvin Goertzen, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, who shared some wisdom based on James 1:19. He exhorted our grads to “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”
“Remember, you don’t have to win every argument, even though you might be right. Some of the greatest leadership moments and world contributions will come when you say almost nothing; when you stop to listen, try to understand the other person’s perspective, and build a connection, and even in disagreement, you establish trust. If we do that, person to person, community to community, we will see the wisdom of that ancient biblical text. We will see it come to life and change our world.”
You can download the 2023 graduation program HERE!
Enjoy grad VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS as follows:
3-min graduation day highlight reel
Video short with the Hon. Kelvin Goertzen
